Signature
by ba0zi
Summary: And once she was married, she understood the controversy behind her signature, how much her husband wanted her to drop the ‘H’ and stick in a ‘U’ at the end. sasuhina


**Written on a whim, so I don't have a solid story concept.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

-:-

Ever since she was young, Hyuuga Hinata had always wanted the perfect signature. She used to sit by her father at his office desk as he signed off contracts with a messy scrawl, sealing deals, making money, getting things done and giving the family name even more regality and authority. With his signature, he brought buildings down, cleared out forests, founded new companies, merged with more, and funded the creation of flawless structures and towers and skyscrapers, with the Hyuuga name behind it all.

It was then Hinata understood the weight behind a signature, the power behind a few careful strokes of ink.

She practiced her cursive religiously, day in and day out. Her script was neat and clean, nothing too flowery or fancy. Simple, yet elegant, with long 'l's and 'h's, and tiny specks for dots over 'i's. Thus, when she signed off her name in cursive, it looked straight out of the textbook. Without personality. Boring.

She looked to her classmates' signatures for inspiration.

Sakura's was big and bubbly, with a big heart at the very end of her signature. Kiba's signature was also very large, but more messy and chicken-scratch looking. Naruto's was incredibly complex and difficult to follow, (more along the lines of scribbles and hasty zigzags) because he said that as future president, he'd need a fancy signature so that it was hard to copy. Suspiciously looking like a centipede, Shino's signature was long and drawn out, but incredibly small when put on paper.

It was then Hinata understood the character behind a signature, how much a person could tell about another just by their signature, whether they were serious, all-work-no-play types of people, or simply in it to have a good time.

She studied her signature carefully. It was painfully boring—did that make her boring too?

So Hinata continued experimenting with her signature, adding a little flair where she felt was necessary, redoing the curves and slopes and dips within her name, until she was finally satisfied with one very curly and shapely "Hinata H" in cursive form. It was like that for a while, starting in middle school when she would sign yearbooks and parental consent forms, up until graduation, when she started using her signature to pay off bills, write checks, even sign off a few contracts of her own, for both business-related and personal reasons.

And once she was married, she understood the controversy behind her signature, how much her husband wanted her to drop the 'H' and stick in a 'U' at the end.

-:-

"It's just a signature," she voiced feebly, signing a receipt and handing it back to the cashier. Sasuke hoisted the plastic bags into the shopping cart and turned away, peeved at her insensitivity. Hinata had barely enough time to stuff a second receipt and her credit card back into her wallet before chasing after him, trying to keep up with his quick pace. Placing her wallet into her purse, she frowned and tried to get a good look at his face, but he refused to face her, keeping a steady eye on the door to the parking lot.

"Sasuke," she called, tugging on his arm. He didn't budge, and simply continued walking as the automatic doors opened up for them. She pouted and trailed slowly behind him, sighing as he began putting groceries into the trunk of the car. Once Sasuke was done, Hinata took the cart and rolled it over to the designated space in the lot. She hurried back to the car and collapsed into the leather seat, leaving her purse in her lap and pulling on her seat belt.

The silence on the way back home was deafening.

Hinata, of all people, knew that a signature wasn't _just_ a signature. It was a symbol of the highest form, a seal, a promise to be held accountable, a proof of identity and intent. And she knew Sasuke was hurt that even after two years of their marriage, she had still rejected the idea of exchanging her trademark 'Hinata H' for a more updated 'Hinata U' version.

Initially, she thought he was joking, and didn't think he actually cared about such a trivial thing. But apparently, such tidbits were very important to him, and he wanted others to think of her as Hinata Uchiha, not Hinata Hyuuga. He wanted _her_ to think of herself as Hinata Uchiha. And the most declaratory way of doing so was by changing her signature.

She still wouldn't budge, though. She was stubborn about her signature, and felt she had been using it long enough, so much so that she didn't want to change it anymore. After all, there was nothing wrong with keeping her maiden name! She had already changed her name for him, on all their records, credit cards, identification cards, business cards—she even introduced herself as Hinata Uchiha nowadays. Why should she have to change her signature as well?

Sasuke was so incredibly possessive of her and wanted to make sure that every fiber of her being belonged to him, just as he did to her. And he was going about it childishly, refusing to speak to her every time he saw her sign something with her 'Hinata H' signature (which was actually quite often), and eventually, he stopped prodding her about it, knowing that she knew it bothered him.

-:-

"Like hell Sakura would change her last name to Uzumaki," guffawed Naruto, slamming down a mug of beer onto the counter. "She's a Haruno, through and through!" He bit into a hot wing and tore the meat off the bone in one go. "You're lucky enough, man. Everyone knows Hinata as 'Hinata Uchiha' nowadays, even though it's only been what, five years? Sakura is still 'Sakura Haruno.'"

He and Sasuke were currently at their usual bar, where they normally met up about once a month or so, just to touch base and do fun, _manly_ things together like drink beer and watch football and holler at girls and—

No, scratch that last one. Sakura would beat them both to a bloody pulp, and Hinata would give them that patented Hyuuga glare that made them piss their pants every single time.

Sasuke frowned, tracing the rim of his own beer mug, before chugging another gulp or two. "And it doesn't bother you? That Sakura still goes by her maiden name?" he asked, facing his longtime friend.

"Why should it?" retorted Naruto, leaving the bone in the red plastic basket before him. "I mean sure, a signature is important, but it doesn't define who a person is. I mean sure, you can kind of have a guess at what they're like based on the way they sign, but it doesn't make them who they are. Hinata's not a Hyuuga anymore, and she knows it. You just have to trust that she identifies herself as a part of you, a part of your family, regardless if she changes her name or her signature, whatever."

Bright blue eyes locked with dark obsidian ones. "She still loves you, no matter what name she puts to paper."

Sasuke looked away and finished his beer, deep in thought.

-:-

Hinata's most recent decision to invest in a small chain of pharmacies was finally producing tangible results. It was her brainchild—a string of small shops that specifically catered to those needing various ointments and salves, all using her very own recipes and methods. It was her dream, to be involved in such a project, something she knew she was good at and enjoyed doing.

Tonight was the night they would be unveiling the newest line of products exclusively available in her string of pharmacies, and she was beyond excited to do that. It would not only include eastern healing oils and hydrating creams, but also various anti-aging products and skin-firming lotions that would keep the female population looking young and healthy at all times! She was even allowed to title her new line of products after herself. Whether she was going to have it named after her maiden name or her married name was a secret though, and she never told her husband about her decision to do so.

For all he knew, it would probably be named 'Hyuuga Cosmetics' or something of that nature.

They'd been married for almost ten years now, and Sasuke had long since dropped the subject of her 'Hinata H' signature. Though she was his wife, it was still up to her what to do with her life, be it her occupation, her interior décor choices, even her own signature. And she respected him all the same, including him in all her little business deals and Home Depot escapades, so there wasn't very much for him to complain about. And, of course, the children. There were more important things to attend to than whine and pout over a signature.

"On behalf of Hyuuga Corporation, I want to thank everyone for their attendance tonight," came a sweet voice from the front of the room. Everyone in their exemplary suits and fabulous gowns turned to face the podium, and a sonorous applause was awarded to the little lady in front, dressed in her own flowing silk gown. She shifted in the smooth midnight-colored material and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Once the clapping died down, she continued, "I extend my gratitude to those that have continued to support and advise me during this time, including my father and my cousin, as well as my husband." She paused, looking around the crowd before her. "So it is with pleasure that I would like to unveil my latest line of cosmetics, Rejuvenation by Hinata Uchiha." The crowd erupted into applause.

Sasuke had been among the various guests as she was speaking, holding a flute of champagne. His eyes widened imperceptibly as banners began to unravel all across the room, displaying various tubes and bottles and tubs of differing shapes and sizes. The biggest one, right behind the podium, also unraveled to reveal the logo of her line of products, which featured a big and bold 'Rejuvenation', and a curiously familiar signature scrawled across the banner in red.

He noticed, however, that instead of her usual 'Hinata H', she had changed it to a 'Hinata U', and he couldn't help but release a happy sigh at that. He locked eyed with her as she stood on the stage, and she flashed him a brilliant smile, one that he returned.

-:-

Unclipping the gaudy diamonds from her ears, and unlatching the bulky necklace from around her neck, Hinata set the jewelry on her dresser and resolved to put them away tomorrow morning. It had been a long night, and all she wanted was to lounge in bed with her husband, and perhaps quell the fears of her young ones as they ventured into the master bedroom because of a nightmare.

As she reached back to unwrap her gown, calloused hands found the dramatic curve of her hips, and warm breath spread heatedly across her neck. The body behind her moved, and tender lips descended on her exposed shoulder.

"Sasuke," she breathed, placing her own hands on top of his and leaning into his touch. He continued dropping kisses up her neck and nuzzled her behind her ear, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

"Hinata U, eh?" he asked. She could feel his lips spread into a small smile. Hinata turned to face him and her arms came up to his chest, undoing the near-perfect bowtie that he spent nearly an hour trying to do in front of the mirror. She pushed the tuxedo jacked off of him and slowly began unbuttoning his white dress shirt.

"Thank you for waiting for me," she murmured quietly, not daring to look him in the eye. "I know you haven't mentioned it in a while, and I'm sorry for being so stubborn about it, but I—"

He snatched up her lips in a searing kiss, and all but melted into his arms. Ten years of marriage did nothing to douse the fire that they kindled, even back when they were dating as hormonal, uncontrollable teenagers. He held her body tightly against his and began peeling off her dress with nimble fingers. She gasped when he began nibbling her neck once more and buried her fingers into his hair, just the way he liked.

"Hinata Hyuuga, Hinata Uchiha—it doesn't matter," he said gruffly, tilting her face up so he could see her. "I love you, all of you, and whatever you decide to name yourself, whatever you decide to use as your signature, I will still love you and cherish you, because I know that deep down…"

He picked her legs up around his waist and carried her to bed, tossing her onto the mattress. The gown was slipping off. She looked delicious, all flustered and half-naked. They were going to have a wild night.

"…You are _totally_ a stubborn Uchiha."

**-:-  
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**AN: It's definitely not the most interesting story of all time, but I still had trouble finding a way to end it. The story itself turned out a lot longer than I had originally planned. In any case, I hope you enjoyed it.**


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